Phone
(VIC)

1800 237 842

General
Enquiries

customerservice.vic@tomracleanaway.com.au

Donation Partner
Enquiries

charities.vic@tomra.com

Scheme Questions

Victoria’s container deposit scheme, CDS Vic, is set to start in November 2023. The scheme will reward Victorians with a 10-cent refund for every eligible can, carton and bottle they return.

It is part of important work that is transforming Victoria’s waste and recycling system.

CDS Vic will provide shared benefits to the community, environment and economy by delivering:

    • more and better recycling
    • less waste – old containers become new ones
    • less litter – cut by up to half
    • hundreds of new jobs and economic opportunities across Victoria
    • a cleaner, greener state

    1. You purchase a drink.
    2. You return your empty drink container to a refund collection point. With refund collection points across Victoria, you can choose a location that is convenient for you.
    3. You receive a 10-cent refund for every eligible container you return. You can choose to keep the funds or donate to a participating charity, community group, environmental group, educational organisation or sports group.
    4. Your returned container is given a new lease on life. The material is recycled and remanufactured into a new product, saving it from landfill or littering the environment.

Returning your containers

You can return your containers at return points across VIC.

You can find the full list and your nearest return point here.

Containers can be returned at any TOMRA Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) across Victoria.

RVMs allow you to recycle your containers quickly and get your refund right away.

A Reverse Vending Machine is your high-tech option to return empty eligible containers for recycling. Simply insert your empty containers into the chute at the front of the machine. Containers will be scanned to ensure they are eligible for a refund.

When you’ve finished depositing the containers, the Reverse Vending Machine will issue the refund.

You have the choice of how to receive your refund, with options including a cash voucher, digitally to your bank/PayPal account, or as a donation to a charity, school, sports or community group.

Containers deposited at a container refund point will be sorted by material type and prepared for collection and transportation to a processing centre, where the materials are tightly compacted and prepared for recycling.

Containers are then sold via an online auction platform into domestic and export markets to an approved recycler where the material is recycled into new materials or back into beverage containers.

Container Eligibility

As part of the scheme, you can receive a refund for most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and liquid paperboard beverage containers between 150ml and 3L.

The container refund scheme aims to reduce the amount of beverage container litter in the environment. Eligible containers are most commonly consumed away from home and make up most container litter in the environment.

Excluded containers are commonly consumed in the home and can still be recycled either through existing kerbside collection or drop-off services. A complete list of eligible containers can be found in the Container Deposit Scheme Regulations.

This includes:

    • Any beverage container less than 150ml or more than 3L
    • Any size or material type of containers for:
      • Undiluted cordial
      • Fruit or vegetable juice concentrate
      • Registered health tonics
      • Plain milk
    • Glass containers of any size for:
      • Wine
      • Pure spirits
    • Containers over 1 litre in size for:
      • Flavoured milk
      • Pure fruit juice
      • Pure vegetable juice
      • Cask water
      • Cask wine
      • Wine sachets of more than 250ml or less than 150ml

Containers must be empty. You don’t have to rinse each container, but it will help you store them cleanly before returning them.

Keep the label on and don’t crush your container, so it can be accepted by a Reverse Vending Machine.

Preferably, lids should be left on beverage containers before taking them to a container refund point, but containers will be accepted either way.

There are several reasons why a container refund point operator may refuse to accept your containers:

    • They are contaminated (i.e. contain sand, dirt, paint, petrol, noxious substances etc.)
    • The container is not recognisable as an eligible container (i.e. crushed beyond recognition or broken in the case of glass).
    • The container is not eligible under the scheme.
    • The container refund point operator has reason to believe the container has been purchased interstate.
    • The container refund point operator has reason to believe the container has already been redeemed or has been deposited from any kerbside recycling operator.
    • If a person refuses to complete a declaration when asked to do so by the container refund point.